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Episode 43: Ice Marathon’s, Donna Double Training, and Brodie’s Beef with Running Social Media
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Welcome to Episode 43 of Peak Pursuits, your ultimate podcast for everything trail running in Australia. This week’s episode is hosted by Sim Brick, Vlad Ixel and Brodie Nankervis.
Listen in as the team discuss Vlad’s upcoming Ice Marathon in India, Sim starts to get specific with her Donna Double training and Brodie recaps his runs at the Oceania Orienteering champs. Then stick around to hear the crew discuss the reason Brodie has gotten sick of running social media!
Finished off with some great results for the week at:
SEQ Trail running series: http://results.thetrail.co/results.aspx?CId=20148&RId=125&EId=1
Cradle Mountain: https://www.cradlemtnrun.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CMR-Results-2025.pdf
***Don’t forget, use code PPP at https://bix-hydration.myshopify.com/en-au for 20% off Bix products, exclusive to PPP listeners!***
Thanks for tuning in to Peak Pursuits! Connect with us on Instagram @peakpursuits.pod to share your thoughts, questions, and your own trail stories. Until next time, keep hitting the trails and chasing those peak pursuits!
Sim: @theflyingbrick_
Vlad: @vladixel
Brodie: @brodienank
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter
License code: K08PMQ3RATCE215R
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Transcript
Introduction and Weather Talk
00:00:08
Speaker
and welcome to episode 43 of the Peak Pursuits podcast. My name is Simone Brick. I am lucky enough today to be joined by regular hosts Vlad and Brody. How are we doing Vlad? Is it a cool down in Perth? Yeah, actually today is only about like 33 or 34, but Wednesday is going to be 42. So yes, but last last four weeks of summer technically.
00:00:33
Speaker
Yeah, true. True. Us over in Melbourne are actually getting some of the heat for a few days in a row now with I think three or four in a row at 39. But we get the cool mornings, ish. Sweaty, but cool mornings. How are you coping with it, Brody? Yeah, not too bad. I think um were running is probably the worst exercise to doing the heat. Writing's a little bit better. so Apart from having a 40 degree headwind on my way home yesterday from my ride, it was ah it was pretty good up in the Dandenong. So yeah, it's ah getting through the heat using a bit of air con. Using far too much air con. But it's all good. I like the heat training gains. It's just nice even when you go for an easy run and you're so sweaty that you're like, yeah, yeah, I worked hard today. Like I didn't, but also feels like I did. So extra.
Vlad's Ice Marathon Preparations
00:01:26
Speaker
um Today on the episode, we'll run down what each of us are doing. I'm keen to hear how Vlad is now pivoting towards his absolutely wild marathon on ice, blah, blah, blah, whatever he's got going on with altitude, making that um adapting into that. But um we've got some results from some pretty cool races as well. and we may let Brody go on a little bit of a rant chat and that we may and Vlad pipe in into um at some point in this episode. So stay tuned for that. But to get us started, Vlad, how long out until this ice marathon thing? Oh, it's exactly three weeks now, or like three weeks and two days. um I think it's like on a Thursday or something. um Yeah, it's not that far off. I am doing a half marathon this Saturday as more of like a tempo.
00:02:17
Speaker
long longer effort on the flat roads um but yeah i've bought all my frozen dried meals for that rice and um usually bars and stuff i haven't really been thinking about it too much because i've bought like some extra gloves and um and um and like a base layer to to run in. um But yeah, I'm not expecting too much from it. It's not going to be like a fast race or maybe, I don't know how competitive it's going to be. I'm more there for the experience and um and for the challenge, I guess. I haven't really been thinking about it too much, which like, yeah, which is a good thing because I've been focusing more on like my training and actually like building up fitness.
00:02:59
Speaker
um and Yeah, I'm not really thinking about that race too much. How long do you actually think it will take you though? Like, do you have any past results to go off for how long these things take? I've not looked at last year's results, but I'm guessing at 4,300 meters on ice, it could be around three and a half hours. I mean, at minus 15 degrees as well, like minus 15 to minus 20.
00:03:28
Speaker
um yeah I mean, of what ah what I was just told that it could be really windy, so I mean, if it's windy, I could be running a 5.30 minute pace. um So yeah, I'm not 100% sure. i kind of like almost like As long as I had my food organized and and like warm running clothes, I haven't really been thinking about the trip, to be honest. like i wouldn't I won't even be able to pinpoint exactly on a map where it is right now. I have all my flights booked and everything like that. it's kind of like Once I get to India, everything is getting taken care of. So I haven't really thought about it too much.
00:04:05
Speaker
um I've been on the race website maybe two or three times as well. So yeah, I'm just going to take it as an experience and probably going to be hard. um But yeah, it's probably going to be fun and an adventure that I will not forget for a long time. True. Do they have any wild um ah mandatory kit? Like is it different to what you normally have to carry?
00:04:30
Speaker
Yeah, I don't think there's a mandatory gear kit because it's um four laps of like just over 10K. Yeah, okay. So it's, yeah. And there's like a lot of marshals on on the 10K loop and yeah, there's not much. I mean, the only thing is I've never been, I think the coldest I've ever been to my whole life might be like minus two or three. So um I just wanted to make sure that I get like the right clothing for,
00:04:57
Speaker
Minus 15 or minus 20. But yeah, I'm not too worried about it. Like I don't have any expectations. It's just a five day trip. I've just had some fun looking it up. And last year, the full marathon actually got canceled because of the snow and they chucked everyone in the half. And then the half on the men's side was one in 201. Wow. Two hours and one minute. Wow. A four and a half hour race.
00:05:25
Speaker
Yeah. I'd say like, I'd say so. Wow. Because you you the longer you go out there. ya like the colder you're going to get. Yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean, I've been thinking about like what shoes I'm going to wear. And I might just like take a couple of pairs and try them out. But it could be slow. Yeah, I mean, I might even do it in my trail running shoes. um Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, I have no idea what you wear to the trip, you know, kind of not really kind of thinking about it too deeply. And and as I get closer, I'm just not thinking
Training Strategies and Balance
00:06:01
Speaker
about it at all. So I'm like,
00:06:03
Speaker
yeah I'm just going to let things happen and and make the most of it, but I'm not going to overstress about it. yeah you know I don't really care if I win, lose, or come last. I'm just there for the experience. Cool. We'll make for a good recap regardless. but Yeah, it sounds fun. Sounds like an adventure. it'll be Yeah, that's right. I think it'd be nice to take the pressure off and just enjoy the experience of going to do a race that is going to be interesting and exciting.
00:06:29
Speaker
Yeah, it's probably like once in a lifetime kind of a thing that I'll ever do. So yeah, so how did this week's training look like in the lead up to it? Like how did training go? ah Yeah, I haven't done anything specific for it. I don't know if I can do anything specific for it. and things and forty degree I don't think i've I've maybe ran in snow like two or three times my whole life. Definitely not on ice. um But yeah, obviously being ah a really hot week in Perth, I did a bit more cycling this week. So um just over five hours of cycling and and about 12 hours of running. So not a bad week, kind of getting to that 17 hour mark where I feel pretty fit. Like, I don't know, 17 hours of training with like cycling and running is definitely a good week for me, 17 and a half hours.
00:07:17
Speaker
yeah But yeah, I actually did, if anything, yes, I did my first specific workout for Donna double. um So I did some yeah running work. So I did like three times free K downhill. It's pretty much like the only free K of consider like pretty much a downhill section in Perth. um It's only 200 meters of elevation gain in in 3k, sorry. um But yeah, I did that a few times. Yes, they're kind of trying to go a little bit faster on that to get the legs
00:07:50
Speaker
used to that so yeah done a double. As you go hard enough down it you'll get the conditioning. Yeah gra and yeah yeah it's it's only about like seven or eight percent and I'm looking at the done a double map I think it's like 13 percent so um not exactly a hundred percent specific but yeah I think there's benefits of running fast downhill and smashing the quads a bit and the legs are actually feeling okay after that um run yesterday so I'm I'm pretty happy because my legs were a bit sore after the Hong Kong, um, a race like the quads from the downhills. Um, but obviously some benefit from that. And then probably two or three, hopefully downhill sessions before Donna double. Um, yeah obviously the only thing about this India trip is it's like right in the training kind of time for Donna double, which is not ideal this whole trip. Um,
00:08:41
Speaker
in the lead up to that. So I think I get back maybe on the 27th and then a week later I fly out to to Melbourne. But altitude games. There's no altitude. Yeah, I mean, it's literally like fly from ah Perth, KL, KL, Mumbai, Mumbai to another city a bit up north and then a six hour drive and then it's on the way back. yeah So we're looking at like, I don't know, 30 hours of travel each way.
00:09:11
Speaker
Um, yeah then yeah, five, four, four and a half, five days in altitude. So I don't think there'll be any gains. There'll be a lot of losses, if anything, from the whole trip. I'm definitely going to lose fitness. Well, and I don't have a loose fitness, but, um, yeah, this whole trip and the stress of the whole trip is not ideal. Yeah. ah Yeah. I don't really mind as I'm kind of hoping to pick a bit later on, um, the year anyway. So.
00:09:36
Speaker
Yeah, and you do another right things. What you were doing on sort of the seven to eight percent is still pretty good for Donna because the first part of the descent is on gravel at about that gradient before you hit the steep stuff. um The steep stuff goes for like eight. k Well, you drop a thousand meters in 8K, but there's definitely sections of it on Wide Fire Road that are nowhere near as steep where you'd be doing similar to what you were doing in that session um before. Yeah, there's that there's only like 3K that's really steep.
00:10:05
Speaker
Yeah. that's Is that technical or is that runnable? black and It's like 30%. It's not necessarily technical. there's a few ah There's a few bits that would be, but it turns and it's narrow and yeah you're descending and it can be a bit slippy. um so Very slippy if wet, yes.
00:10:25
Speaker
Yeah. It's mostly that like, because it goes for, um, say 15, 20 minutes, I guess, um, like you can get yeah at some point in that 15 to 20 minutes, your quads are going to start to be like, okay, I've had enough. Um, depending on how hard you push. Yeah. The whole descent is more like 35 minutes. Like your time on the server on the descent for you, Brody is 35.
00:10:50
Speaker
So it's probably only like 15 minutes of the steep stuff. Cause the other bit's pretty yes runnable. And yeah, it is not until you cross the road that it gets really steep. And like last year I was, um I was chasing. So I went really hard and about 60% of the way down, I was like, oop, I need to start easing up. Otherwise I'm not going to make it to the bottom. um So it it really depends on how.
00:11:15
Speaker
fast you let yourself fall down the hill. And then Marder Road to finish. Yeah, Marder Road is fun. and then yeah And then you get 1k of like flat where your quads are like completely shot and you you feel like you're like floating but not moving. It's yeah it's a weird sensation. Yeah, we'll be very fun. So awesome. that's ah I'm glad you are doing some downhill. I'm doing very similar at the moment in the downhill sort of conditioning for Donna because it is needed in a big way. um but good we can try I guess part of it is to to get to the bottom. Like if you do some training then
00:11:51
Speaker
then you're more likely to manage that 15 minutes of downhill or 20 minutes of downhill really well. And the more important I think for people seasons and training and that sort of stuff is if you aren't, if you haven't done any downhill or not much of like sustained downhill, then you're going to be a mess for like a week. Whereas if you have done some, you might have a couple of sore days and then you can get back into training. Yeah. Yeah.
00:12:17
Speaker
That's the plan. so Yeah, I've got a couple of athletes who are doing it and I'm going to send them out for some some big downhills, um probably one or two sessions, depending on how much they can fit in because it's yeah it's just it's mostly to be able to recover the better that
Brody's Race Experiences
00:12:30
Speaker
I think it's really important for. um But also because it's such a long descent,
00:12:34
Speaker
if you haven't done the training, you can sort of hit a point where you do blowout. Yeah, your quads eventually give up. That is for sure. I felt that last week on my first downhill. um The joy is awesome. Well, Brody, on to you. How was your week? Yeah, good. I didn't see you. I raced on Monday, so yeah, I haven't i guess I haven't spoken since the race on the weekend.
00:12:59
Speaker
Yeah, so last weekend I was in New Zealand. I think when we spoke last time, I was in New Zealand doing some like preparation. I'd done a couple of... runs in the terrain there. um And I ended up doing two races. um So the races were say Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and I ended up running Saturday and Monday to sort of continue the day on day off. um And yeah, that seemed to go fairly well from an Achilles point of view. um not ah Not perfect, but it was also pretty challenging
00:13:30
Speaker
calf terrain um being in sand dunes um and also like the first time I've sort of run hard. I wasn't running particularly fast like because of the sand so it was like five minute Ks but my heart rate in both races was like average one high 180s and I got to my max heart rate so I was definitely pushing. um So yeah it was good.
00:13:51
Speaker
To get back out there, I didn't have ah my best race on the first day. It was the middle distance on the Saturday. um I ended up in 10th. It was a pretty competitive field, but I was probably a bit further back than I would have liked. I made a few sort of tech a few mistakes, so I lost some time early in the race and then didn't really have the legs.
00:14:13
Speaker
to make it up in the second half, it was pretty fast running, so I was i didn't hemorrhage too much time, but I i couldn't really gain time on on what I'd lost. Yeah. And yeah, the Achilles pulled up pretty well the next day, um which was good, but i that it was a long distance, so it was 90 minutes at least and I decided that it probably wasn't a good idea. um And so instead of doing the the two days in a row, which I'd initially planned, I decided to take the long distance off and then run again on the on the Monday. I initially it wasn't going to run on the Monday. I was just going to do two in a row. But um yeah, just given the distance of the race, I thought it was probably a better call. um So yeah, run again.
00:14:54
Speaker
On the Monday, Achilles is probably a little bit sore in the warm up. It was nearly like worse two days after, but it was mostly just tight, not so much pain. So I think that was a relatively good outcome. Race against, it was a relay. So I ran on the third leg for my team. um I was running for the Australian team, which was cool.
00:15:14
Speaker
um And yeah, I went out in second place, came back in third place, unfortunately. But yeah, I had a family had a fairly decent run. I was ahead of the the New Zealand first team was out in front, New Zealand second team and me went out about 15 seconds separated. um So he was sort of behind me for most of the race, i had a really good first half and actually got away from him and then made some mistakes and he caught back up.
00:15:39
Speaker
And then we had, we came past like the finish area. They often have like a spectator run through type of thing. and We have 1k to the finish and he was about 10 seconds behind me. um So I knew that it was sort of high pressure last loop trying to stay in front. Don't make any mistakes because they're like if you make a mistake, they're easier to slip past and lose.
00:16:00
Speaker
Um, did pretty well, was actually probably getting away from him and then decided that I needed to drop him and then run too fast and made a mistake. And he went past me. So on the second last control, he came past me. Um, but yeah, it was, it was fun. And I had a pretty good race that day. I think I was fifth fastest, uh, time for the day, um, and out of the Australians, which is sort of the important thing in terms of selection. I was second fastest, I think.
00:16:28
Speaker
Um, so yeah, it was, um it was a better day for me. And, um, yeah, and I really enjoyed getting back out there, which was great. Um, yeah. And then came home, um, got mega delayed was supposed to be on the podcast last week, but I was, uh, my flight, my 6am flight got canceled and then I got rebooked onto to about five different flights on the Tuesday. Um, but ended up making it back to Melbourne at like.
00:16:54
Speaker
midnight or something on Tuesday, so lost a day, but got home, which was good. um And then, yeah, I chatted to Locky about next steps. I think I had it in my mind that I'd continued day on, day off, because I'd started, um and Lockie had other ideas. So I've gone back to going off running. I wasn't like the racing in New Zealand if it wasn't at that time, and I hadn't already booked flights and whatnot. I probably wouldn't have been running just yet, and I might have been running, say, now or next week. um So we just sort of come back to where we were at.
00:17:28
Speaker
um ah back into the gym, back into the cross training, and it's feeling pretty good. um I think it's it's getting better every week. It's still slow, but that's what you get when you give yourself a four-year chronic injury.
00:17:43
Speaker
um yeah So it's coming, it's coming back. um And I'm definitely getting, I can tell I'm getting stronger. I can tell I'm getting better at the sort of dynamic stuff in my, in my rehab program. So I'm ah meeting with Locky, I think in a week and a half. um And hopefully at that point, I think I'll get the all clear to keep going, but we're going to see how I'm going on the, on the strength testing and the sort of dynamic hopping and all that business um and just make sure that runnings, for right? And I think it's it's probably a good idea. It's hard for me because I'm like, oh, I can run. I know I can run and it it didn't make it worse. um But I think if I wait until I'm at a better position, the running will come back faster. So it's yeah, it's it's probably no different. Where I am in end of March would probably be the same, whichever approach I took. But the more risky approach would be to run now. So better just to get the rehab ticked off. um
00:18:41
Speaker
And I'm loving the bike, to be honest. like I don't know if I can run again. I'll become a cyclist. It's actually so much fun. um So I'm really enjoying that side of things. So I can't really be too upset. And I ran like physically. My shape wasn't awful in New Zealand. It's just a bit of running in coordination. It was probably worse that it was orienteering because it's.
00:19:04
Speaker
so specific to like being able to be strong and run strong that like yeah I feel like it would have been better if it wasn't in the forest in terms of how what the gap was. And I still had pretty good fitness. So um I think it'll all come back pretty quick and I'm feeling yeah still feeling pretty fit. Yeah, nice. Nice.
Simone's Training Insights
00:19:23
Speaker
Good to hear. You still got 12 hours on the bike to spot.
00:19:27
Speaker
Monday and Tuesday not being on it, so that's a pretty big bike. I had a wedding on Saturday, so I didn't get to train, so that's why I went out ridiculous time yesterday, because in the morning my friends were still here, so we went out for breakfast and whatnot, so I had to wait until after that, so got some heat training gains, got a god-awful headwind, like it heated up during the ride, I think it wasn't too bad yesterday morning in in in Melbourne, but it got really hot, like it peaked at like 6pm, so when I'm coming back at like 4 p.m. And I came off the Dan Nongs onto the flat. Every time I stopped at an intersection, it was like I was in a bloody oven, like no no convection from the wind and like the heat coming up off the road. yeah I literally felt like I was melting at a few intersections. It was pretty tough by the end.
00:20:12
Speaker
oh I can imagine. Yeah, I'm not envious of you on that front, but well done on being smart. Riding through the Dandenongs is amazing and beautiful and and just as good as running, I think. Like the trees, I don't know, it's just, I don't know, I got something about big rocks and big trees. Have you done the the cross? Oh my gosh, what's it called? um There's a great big ride that I did when I was ended in the Dandenong.
00:20:37
Speaker
Um, I'll send it to you, but it's like, it covers all the main climbs in Dandenong all in one on run, yeah one ride. Yeah. I'm not sure I can do all in one at the moment. I'm doing two or three big climbs in one ride at the moment. i won't get there But yeah, it's so nice. Like, um, or even riding along similar roads to where we run, uh, when we run in Sherbrooke, like there's a nice road through there that I usually drive on to get to some of my runs. And it's just like, it's so beautiful. So yeah, it's pretty, pretty good place to be doing some cross training.
00:21:06
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, nice. Nice. Well, we could see when you get back, but good job so far on keeping it smart. Love that work. On my end, I'm in full-blown Donna double prep mode, which is fun. um Although it's it's weird that it's getting so close, but I still kind of feel like I'm on a rebuild.
00:21:28
Speaker
um But at least the rebuild's going real well. So I had my first session, my first week of a bloody long time with three sessions. All nice and short. But um starting the week off after the first lot of downhill conditioning where I had like fully blown my quads was interesting. But I found that doing is track session Tuesday evening and trying to hit some decent paces. Like I was sore in the warm up. My quads were shocking. But once I'd done one 600 rep at like a decent pace, so Everything felt better like everything sort of opened up and like the rest of the session I could do fine and from then on in the week I was fine, which I've never quite tested it that much before. Normally if my quads are sore, I'll go off the session can happen tomorrow. Whereas, yeah, I just found that doing the session actually helped the quads.
00:22:17
Speaker
So, yeah, track session Tuesday, fartleg session Thursday, and then I did a park run on Saturday. um And the original, originally my training plan only had the Tuesday session and the park run, and I was meant to do the park run. Like, Tim had essentially told me, go out hard, don't care if you blow up, um kind of tactics. But because I was sore on the Tuesday and we did a really short session, I asked if we could just do the Thursday session and threshold the park run um to get more volume because I cared more about the volume than a fast 5K at this point, which I didn't think was going to be very fast anyway. So we got it done. I ran my typical park run time. I think we looked up. I have 10 park runs between 1825 and now 1832.
00:23:08
Speaker
Um, because it just, and my, my park run PB is 18.25. Um, but I just always seem to run the exact same time. But it was good cause I didn't look at my watch and I'm running a 10 K I'm running Carmen's in like two weeks as again, sort of bust out the, like blow out the cobwebs before Donna.
00:23:26
Speaker
And I kind of went, OK, sit where you think you'd be for the 10K and just hold, which I did do. And everything was like, oh, and essentially like 342 for every K. So that was good. Got that done. But I don't know if either of you have ever had this happen because it was actually the first time for me. My shoelace came undone 500 meters in because I was late to the start. I was it was proper rookie era stuff. I'd only slept like four hours. I was absolute mess in the morning and then got there only like 15 minutes before park run starts. So I did a quick warm up and was changing my shoes, got my shoes on for the park run. We get 500 in and my laces are everywhere. And I was like, do I actually stop or do I just, suck like I sucked it up and just ran the whole thing with one lace undone. But I was, I don't know what, what do you do at that point?
00:24:17
Speaker
It definitely happened to me once, only really once at TransLantal 100K. So my shoelace got undone probably an hour into the race and there was somebody right behind me and I was like, well, I'm not going to stop now and tie my shoelaces and I ran the whole race the next 90K with one. I feel like in 100K I'd stop. ten I was like, I'm not stopping.
00:24:42
Speaker
Yeah, okay. Even though one hour as well, I still did not stop. I was too scared. I was going to say, you have eight stations, you stop for freaking like, people change their shoes in 100Ks. Like, just do another lace. Yeah, this is back in the day where I would just get into the eight station, grab like half a banana and get out, like get some water and half a banana as quick as I can. And that was like all my calories as well. But I wouldn't stop. Oh my gosh. Yeah.
00:25:08
Speaker
Yeah. Wow. Okay. Yeah. No, pretty sure if it was 100K, I would have been stopping then and there to tie that thing up. But I was like, I still wanted a semi decent 5K time out of it. And I was like, as soon as you stop for 30 seconds, like you're done, it's a 5K. 5K feels like it's done. I don't know. I don't do my shoes well enough. I reckon if they come undone, I'd have to, um, I'd have to stop. But I'm also very like, pretty like OCD about making sure my shoelaces are ready to go. Um,
00:25:36
Speaker
Normally I am too. This was the first time it's happened and I was like actually kicking myself. I'm like rookie f freaking error. you were like I did one stride. I was like, none of the proper prep you would normally want for a session at all. That's a classic park run though. like Every park run I ever go to, I never do the warm up I intended. And even when I'm like, okay, I'm doing it seriously today, I should make sure I get there enough time to do a warm up. I still always end up getting there with like no time to do anything.
00:26:03
Speaker
yeah It's just, I don't know, something about parkrun. It's like, it's not super, super serious that it's a race that like, if you had a race at 8am, you'd really make sure. um But even when you're taking it seriously, yeah, I don't know, it's something about parkrun. I'm too lazy to put a parkrun ready by 8. Yeah, there is this parkrun next to my house, which is 220 meters in 5k. Yeah, wow.
00:26:26
Speaker
And I don't know if you guys know Mike Glory. Mike Glory was like a professional triathlete for Canada. He lives in Perth, um is Australian, but he competed for Canada. So he literally just got my record probably two or three weeks ago. So I've been planning to go back to that park run and take it very, very seriously and try and take my course record back there. um But yeah, I've only done one, which was that park run.
00:26:51
Speaker
Yeah, nice. I haven't actually done that many park runs, but the whole training group was there. So it was a lot of fun. Like all the girls I train with, they were absolutely ripping. One of them ran 16 10 and I was like, you are amazing. damn Um, so it's always, how does that compare to your 5k time SIM? Like what's the, so my 5k is still halfway of my 10k PB. Oh, okay. What's that? What is it? ah Sorry, maha i my 5KPB is the halfway split from Lakeside 10 in 2017, 2018? Oh, damn. 1755. It's nothing to write home about at all. like and I definitely should be able to run faster just every time I've gotten on a track. Me and the track don't agree. And then yeah I've run 1755, 1756, 1757, 1755.
00:27:41
Speaker
I'm consistently consistent, um but I've never actually run faster than that, even though like 100% I know I should. And at some point I would like to actually take it seriously, but I always struggle to take a 5k super seriously.
00:27:56
Speaker
and like really want to do. Like for me, it's a motivation thing. I get there and I'm like, uh, like I just, ah I don't have the same drive at all. Yeah. Yeah. Cause I was thinking when you were talking about all your park runs being the same, like I think mine are very much the same. Like there was a year there where I think like every park run I did was between like 16 and at like 1620 and I just couldn't break 16 at a park run. Like it just wasn't possible. This is like what's going to happen as much as much as I tried as hard as I could. Um, and then I like stepped onto a track and I was like, oh, 1550 easy. yeah Yeah, no, it's just me and five K's don't mix, but anyways, they're good training sessions for me. I do. And once I've done one, I think that's my problem. I only ever just do one off the bat. I think I would need to like do one and then i need to have a crack at one.
00:28:41
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. So one day, and I say one day, and I don't actually know or really care too much if it ever happens. But I did. You'll get like that. It'll be like a 20 year PB from 2017 or a 15, whatever how many years that is. And you'll get it when you're like 42.
00:29:02
Speaker
Yeah. um But yeah, I did, after doing last week's, this is where the Donna double stuff comes in, after doing last week's downhills on the weekend, I did for this week for the first time after, for the first time like in this block, add in my Wednesday lot medium long run was on the treadmill, um doing the transitions where I go do 2K up, 2K flat, 2K up, 2K flat.
00:29:25
Speaker
But as you're going in between the gradients, I let the treadmill go. like When I'm doing the flat, I'll keep it on the flat pace for as long as I can as the gradient goes up. I was doing like 15%. I was trying to average out the donor double percent, so I got 1,100 meters over 20K.
00:29:44
Speaker
um But that was my sort of, that was in between all the sessions, my specific um Donna double kind of thing where heart rate was easy, but I was trying to get the legs used to the transitions from steep to flatter, because we do get a little bit of that at Donna, but also I find it helps even for the up to downhill transition, even just going up to flat on the treadmill for the different things there.
00:30:09
Speaker
And then two and a half hours on the weekend, Caitlin Fielder was in town. um So we had a good group. It was me, Kate, Katinka, Caitlin Fielder, and Maddie Heiner, actually, who she ran a 50K recently. She podiumed over in um New Zealand at a 50K. So she promises she'll never do it again, though.
00:30:32
Speaker
um So that was good. And yeah, I'm back up at probably the mileage I'll hold until I start 100K training at sort of that 120K weeks.
Nutrition and Influencer Impact
00:30:43
Speaker
So happy days. I'm starting to feel a little fit. um Got to see Brody in the gym. That was good fun. Love my gym. Yeah, happy days. Nice.
00:30:56
Speaker
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00:31:23
Speaker
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00:31:45
Speaker
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00:31:58
Speaker
There's our updates. Brady, I'm going to give you the floor.
00:32:03
Speaker
Because we were chatting before this, and I know that you're going to give a toned down version of the beforehand chats because you are now being recorded. But I want to hear that rant again. um Coming from a physio that is a running coach that has done a lot of qualifications, ah we are talking a little bit about the number of people that listen to people they maybe shouldn't.
00:32:26
Speaker
on social media. Get us started. ah How long have we got? No, yeah, look, it's, I don't know. i don't edit it It makes me um a little bit upset and angry to talk too much about it, so I won't work myself up. But yeah, it's just, I don't know. And I don't know how much of it is changeable. And it's not it's not the people's fault who are sort of following and listening to these people per se, um because they don't know what the right information is. But it's just
00:32:57
Speaker
Yeah, I'm finding personally myself that like social media in particular is just like a lot of noise on there at the moment um and so much so that I like I'm not wanting to go on there and I'm not really wanting to post much either because I just feel like There's no point posting anything because it gets lost in the noise. um There's some people out there who have big profiles for whatever reasons how they built their profile that are creating a lot of noise and they might not know exactly what they're talking about.
00:33:28
Speaker
um So yeah, it's it's a tricky space. um yeah For me, like even me, like I feel like, i'm ah like you said, I'm a running coach. I'm a physio, so i'm I'm good on the injury side, but I'm not an expert in the running stuff. I've learned a lot of things personally through my running and the coaches I've worked with. That's where a lot of my sort of coaching philosophy has come from. um And I'm an accredited orienteering coach, and part of that is the running side.
00:33:54
Speaker
um and I wrote a lot of the running side curriculum for our coaching course in orienteering. But even I haven't done a athletics Australia coaching course and I actually am starting one because I i want to have that qualification and just like one a piece of paper to sort of show that yes I do know what I'm talking about and and two there might be some things within that course that I learn. What frustrates me is ah there's like not there's not a lot of um transparency on the sort of
00:34:25
Speaker
advice that's being provided on on what these people's qualifications are. So yeah, it's it's a rabbit hole. We're not going down it too far. But um yeah, I'm just struggling personally a little bit with the amount of noise on social media. And I feel like it's it's ah we were saying before that I feel like the trains left the station a little bit in terms of a lot of these profiles have grown to such large numbers that now they have that sort of continues itself along and they're getting the partnerships and And that's a whole separate side of the story is elite athletes versus influencers on sponsorships and and and even just partnerships. It's good to see. I saw one actually, Izzy Batdow had as a partnership with Samsung, which I thought was really cool. And there was a whole ad that one popped up on my thing. So good on Izzy. Cause that's like, I think I'm not seeing as much of that from our elite athletes per se. And we see a lot of the, you see a lot of those sorts of ads or sponsorships.
00:35:20
Speaker
um with influencers instead of athletes. And I'm not i'm not sort of, the the the influencers are putting in the work, they're not not putting in the work to get there. um It's just when that extends to then giving out advice that they might not be experts in, I find a little bit tough. Thoughts? So many. um Yeah, I definitely agree that social media is becoming, especially the running space of social media is is um is getting a bit too much and personally I've been spending a lot less time on social media because it like I want to follow some of my friends and people that I look up to but then obviously get a lot of stuff that maybe I'm not that interested in. um So I've definitely been scrolling a lot less through social media. and
00:36:07
Speaker
and Yeah i mean it's tough cuz i think that running influences there's a lot of them there there's some really good ones and some that um actually give some good advice and stuff like that but i think yeah you just have to be careful um listening to a lot of them and kind of try and.
00:36:25
Speaker
Yeah, not not kind of put all your eggs into one basket and just follow one person and rather try and try a lot of the things for yourself and maybe listen to people with a little bit more experience. I'm saying that running is just like exploding right now. So there's a lot of them, a lot of running influences out there.
00:36:43
Speaker
um you know I get contacted you know having bigs by a lot of running influences that wanna try and partner up and stuff like that and and sometimes the amounts that they're asking for a partnership kind of surprise me going like.
00:36:58
Speaker
you know You obviously you put a lot of effort into social media and and it it does pay off, um but that's like more than some professional athletes would get for something similar to do on on Instagram ah or ah other social media um platforms. So yeah, I think as a brand, like i've obviously I've worked with few influencers. None that we actually paid for, so I've never paid an influencer.
00:37:24
Speaker
but More influences that i guess more of my friends are same circles and you could you can see the benefits of working with influences. But then at the same time there are some influences are probably just take it a bit too far and.
00:37:39
Speaker
um Yeah, trying to squeeze quite a lot. And I guess being in the industry a little bit as an athlete and as somebody that operates a business, you can kind of see through it. But I'm sure that some brands will be happy paying an influencer a thousand dollars for a real.
00:37:57
Speaker
which you know I think some might deserve it but a lot might not but they're still kind of expecting it because some others are getting it. um So yeah I think that space is yeah it's a tough one because as a brand you could see some benefit in it but then there's just so many of them at this point that I do know in the US right now there's a bit of talk about um you know like the main marathons that brands are sending out like let's say an x amount of influences and pay them a lot of money to be at the chicago marathon of the new york marathon.
00:38:32
Speaker
Um, and they're actually getting more money than the professional athletes have been without brand for a couple of years. And, and that brand might only use that influencer for one race, for example, for the New York marathon, pay them a lot of money to be there for like a week and represent the brand in all the events and the shakeout runs. And I mean, have a look at Instagram now around any major race. There is so many shakeout runs. It feels like, you know, and all they do is just take out, um,
00:39:00
Speaker
So there is a lot of kind of events, brands kind of almost have to do it because running is getting fairly big and a lot of people that might enjoy the checkout runs a lot more than the races or get more out of those community events rather than competition. um But then I also understand a lot of professional athletes that go like, you know, I've been with your brand. This is in the US. I don't know if this has happened in Australia as much, but I've been with you for a couple of years and here's this influencer that The only using for like a week or two is getting paid for that one week, you know, as much as I get paid for a whole year um and im representing your brand in a different kind of a professional way where this is just all about like views and.
00:39:45
Speaker
and stuff like that. So yeah, I think it's a it's a tough one. It's definitely a tough because obviously you can't change it. you know like we We can talk about it as much as we want, but this is where the sport is heading to and running and fashion is getting mixed up more and more and more. And there is a lot of runners right now that don't race. like you know There's a lot of groups in Perth that you know sometimes we do like a big tasting for them.
00:40:11
Speaker
And I talk with some of them, and they might do one race a year, which might be like the city to serve 10K, 12K race. you know They're not really there for racing. They're more there for the social um bit of running. And I think brands understand that there's a lot of runners in that space. you know For a nutrition brand, it's probably not as important because those people are not really spending much money on nutrition um because they might only run two or three times a week.
00:40:40
Speaker
But they all buy a lot of running shoes and running shoes are going through this stage where are there really cool and theyre fashionable and the super light and bouncy and it's actually fun running in a lot of those.
00:40:52
Speaker
You know carbon-plated shoes right now so i think like like for a poomer nike added as those spaces are very big right now and a lot of new customers are coming in um and i can see that they are kind of spending a lot of money on those influences to try and get to those people that might not even know um you know the top marathon runners.
00:41:13
Speaker
in their own country who are winning the races, um but they definitely know everything about the upcoming shoes and and all those kind of
Realistic Training Advice
00:41:23
Speaker
releases. So yeah, it's a tough one. I think that, you know, ah so yeah um mean I guess, I mean, in a kind of ah in ah in a good position to see it as as an elite athlete, but also as as somebody that is there with a brand. um Luckily, I'm not in the shoe business because I think that would have been way higher.
00:41:41
Speaker
I think we can still, as a nutrition brand, we can still focus a little bit more on performance of people that are looking to achieve their best. And we don't really kind of you know work with influences even though, you know, a lot of nutrition brands are because there is, you know, obviously some of them are using nutrition, but yeah, yeah it's definitely tough. I think you've ah yeah you've touched on something important there in that running influencers have it influences that approach and appeal to the everyday person that might not even care about a race, just wants to get out and run. They're actually important and they have ah they have their place. 100% they have their place and they're getting more people out the door being active.
00:42:22
Speaker
runnings on a boom because of things like that going on. But I think so you've got the brand and the marketing, it only just makes sense. Like it's it's perfect for them because that's the market that they want. um But what what I think I get frustrated that similar to what Brody was talking about is when a line's crossed.
00:42:43
Speaker
of you're no longer just motivating people to get out the door to go for a run be active be healthy love the love the big events and those sorts of things because they are designed there to put on this massive show for as many people as possible and you cross that line of going will he is.
00:42:59
Speaker
ah Just purely because I have a platform, I'm now going to tell you how to do it and what to do to actually make this happen. Or like that's where I think, you like you can't change the fact that that's going to happen, but you can 100%. I warn many people and I warn a lot of the people I coach or just people I talk to, to just be careful where your information comes from because There are things you can actually do to check. Okay, is this person actually a coach? And if they're a coach, are they actually accredited with anyone? Like, have they done any training in this whatsoever? And to be fair, like I don't think, like I do think that all coaches ideally should try and get some sort of accreditation proof of going, Yeah, I know my stuff.
00:43:40
Speaker
But that there are some people out there that have been running 20 years plus and they do actually know what they're talking about for sure but you can still check that. And also like the things need to pass the sensibility test and there are some influences out there especially recently that at times they go.
00:43:59
Speaker
Like what they preach or what they try and ask people to do or try and motivate people to do to me actually feels kind of, um what's the word I'm looking for? Like stupid, but not stupid. not the stupid Anyway, it I'll go with stupid. What they're trying to ask people to do doesn't make any sense and is like,
00:44:20
Speaker
just harmful in some ways, such as if you were to see an influencer tell you that they can get you from zero to, this is an example that's happened recently, zero to a marathon in 10 weeks, like a non-runner to running a marathon in 10 weeks, I'm going to say that that's not actually helping anyone.
00:44:36
Speaker
Yeah, you can do a couch to five in 10. I would agree with that. But couch to marathon, like I'm not saying it's not possible, but it is. 100% it is. Yeah, exactly. 100% it is. But is that going to keep a person running? I don't think so. And from observing people as a coach, you go like often it is a case as a coach now, thanks to some of the things that come out on social media. The first thing I'm doing is asking people to decrease their length goals.
00:45:04
Speaker
because there's a lot of, I want to run, I'm not a runner, but I want to do this event that's 42, 50, 60, I want to run 100k. Like, there's just, there's a lot of that. um And trying to, like, I actually had a chat to a group that I coached recently, um that I absolutely adore, and they're doing amazing things in the running space, her run, that And some of the girls were actually relieved when they ran a 5K last year. And I'm like, we're setting goals for this year. Your goal doesn't actually have to be to run a 10K. It can be to run a faster 5K. And some of them went, oh, really? I can do that? And I was like, yes, that is actually a perfectly valid and good goal. But they've got so much information coming at them from other sources that once you've run a 5K, you do a 10, and then you do a half, and then you do a marathon. And I just, when I explain to them, that can be your goal. If your heart's set on it, go for it.
00:45:54
Speaker
but don't adopt other people's goals because it's the popular thing to do. And yeah, that's- Yeah, and I think if you ask many experienced runners that question of what's more valuable, they'd be like, well, what's most valuable to you? And also getting a faster 5K time, just getting a PB for yourself is just as meaningful as running a 10K, if not more meaningful. Yeah, 100%. So- Further is not better. I think, I mean,
00:46:22
Speaker
Yeah, I think coming back to those influences is that don't forget that a lot of them play the algorithm game. So for them is like the more I put out, the more I'm going to get seen, the more followers I have, the more brands are going to work with me, the more money I'm going to get. So for them is maybe in the beginning, they actually put some motivational content and some good information.
00:46:46
Speaker
And in like you know you can learn a lot from any running influences who just started kind of running and and you know and you're starting out as well maybe you don't want to listen to to a marathon professional runner or an elite runner you want to be somebody a bit closer to where you where you are and where he was she was.
00:47:04
Speaker
I'm gonna get to that point but then they also like get to that trap where they need to create a lot of content and it's can start with like really good and motivational stuff and then just gotta keep pushing other content and now it gets to the point where they just do anything for views and and you know will tell you anything how you can.
00:47:23
Speaker
you know get ready to for a 100k race in 10 weeks. you know Sometimes the're more controversial the more the more noise it's going to create. is i think yeah yeah just good I think that's the thing that annoys me with this because I agree with it you. We've made the point that it's not There's nothing wrong with being an influencer and from a brand's point of view it makes a lot of sense to use them because they are that is their job where is a athlete or a coach there focused on being an athlete or being a coach and it's difficult to create lots of content at the same time as doing that.
00:47:57
Speaker
um So, and you don't see many athletes doing it. So you can understand from a brand point of view, it's just, yeah, for that part for me is frustrating, but that's just how it is. It's just when, like Sim said, when it takes this next step to me that I start to get a bit more annoyed. um But yeah, anyway.
00:48:15
Speaker
ah One really good, one runner who I've been loving putting out a lot of content is um Seth O'Donnell, so check out his page because he's, I think he's just finished a physiotherapy degree, so he's he's got evidence-based stuff in his mind and he's putting out lots of videos um yeah and yeah, just ah and he's putting a lot of effort in. I'd love to know how much time he's taking to make them because he's going into a lot of detail and he's making sure what he's, from what I can tell, he's making sure what he puts out there is factually correct, um which I imagine takes a bit of work. um yeah And he's even in the comments like replying to people and stuff. So Seth, I don't know how you're doing it, but well done.
00:48:57
Speaker
yeah Well, here's a question for you Brody. um Obviously you don't do a crazy amount of social media, um but you do have like a good sponsorship with with with a good brand. Are you worried that Salomon is gonna go like, well, we we can pay an X amount of money to those free influences and get a lot more value than Brody. Yeah, yeah's so like legitimately, yes, that is a concern that we think about. And I feel somewhat compelled to post, I was even talking to Sim about it before. like ah been a little bit injured and because of like I just I'm not in like the best headspace going onto social media and seeing all this stuff coming out at me that I haven't really wanted to engage that much but yes it is something that we have to think about as athletes. I think on the flip side there is also something to having that ah motivational person who
00:49:48
Speaker
this is not talking about me per se, but someone who has results and has an inspiring story and then they win a race or something like that. Like I think about that a lot when I'm watching like ah just over the weekend, like Andy Buchanan, Izzy Batdell having some fantastic runs. Like that was something that I was really engaged with. And I think even the everyday person engages with that. So I think there is still that element of Being an athlete, getting results is important for the brand because they can showcase that story. um But yes, there is also that pressure. it
00:50:21
Speaker
whether it's real or not, ah to feel like you need to post. And it is written into people's contracts that you do need to use social media and maybe post a certain amount of time that's different for, I imagine that that's different for every brand and different relationship that they have with an athlete. But generally, I think most contracts these days will mention social media to some extent.
00:50:45
Speaker
And I think they use social media following, even though it's not that important anymore because the algorithm has changed so much that it doesn't really matter how many followers you have. It's more about, you know, how how much the algorithm is gonna push whatever you you're posting out there. um But I know that brands really care about those numbers and that's like almost like an easy way of judging your value of an athlete. um I think, I mean, like I would encourage all young athletes or or athletes they that they are kind of
00:51:18
Speaker
At least level and getting sponsored to do a little bit of social media if it's a podcast if it's YouTube if it's Instagram you don't have to do all of them but have some other value rather than results because like you said if you are injured you know you kind of start questioning.
00:51:33
Speaker
You know, a lot of things, but then you can kind of show like to the brand, Hey, I'm bringing a lot of value through this, this, and this as well at the same time. Um, so I do think that we are going to more and more to the point where it is important and more and more important, um, with time as well. Cause I mean, if you think about it like before social media, it was a hundred percent about results and, and, you know, there was no other way of getting.
00:51:57
Speaker
you know, views and telling your story where today people are spending a lot of time on social media. So there is a lot of value for those brands for you to do more and more social media. um So I think it is important even though at times it's maybe not what you enjoy, but I think If you want to be supported throughout sport, um it is really, really important. That pretty much sums it up because there's not, yeah, as Brody said, I've not to speak to a single athlete that it's not included in their contract in some way. And in many, there's bonuses attached to social media content as much as there is to racing at times. I didn't have it in my contract. I had it with North Face Six years. Nothing was about social media. But again, this again you know this was a contract that was 2016.
00:52:45
Speaker
But yeah, I'm guessing today could be a bit different, but I am kind of through big science talking with few brands. um And, you know, they showed me their running roster. And next to their name, the first thing that comes next to it is the followers on Instagram.
00:53:01
Speaker
So there is obviously, you know, a lot of weight on it. Yeah, they, 100%, they look at it for sure. So
Celebrating Achievements and Future Plans
00:53:09
Speaker
pros and cons. I think that was a pretty okay-ish discussion that I don't need to edit too much on pros and cons of social media. It can be a, can be a touchy topic at the best of times. And Brody was a lot more reigned in. I like it. So decreasing my workload on the back end of the stage. I'm all just measured in my responses.
00:53:32
Speaker
especially one of microphones in front of your face. I love it. um Okay, moving on, I reckon we're going to go through a couple of results for this week. um There's two that we've put out that are of note. The first one being, there was a few in action at the South East Queensland trail running series ah in Bunyaville.
00:53:53
Speaker
I just realised I didn't look at the distances of these things, but there's a long course and a short course in the long course. Ben Duffus, he was out there in action. He got the course record by about a minute or so in an hour and two minutes. And second place was Andrew Day in an hour six and then Oliver Cook in an hour six thirty on the men's side. On the women's side, there was one by Amelia Spring in an hour 16. Ashley O'Loughlin in an hour 17 and Ella Heinegger in an hour 20. On the short course side, that was won by David Vernon, ah but closely followed by Zach Newsham. And then in third on the men's with Shannon Taylor on the women's Laura Lovett won, followed by Miranda, Marnie and Madison McBride. Lots of M's. um So well done to everyone there. It looked like a cool day. Ben definitely had.
00:54:46
Speaker
a ripper run. So that was really cool to see and he was posting about it. So he must've been pretty happy with it. Yeah, Billy was, when I spoke to Billy the other week doing the interview, we chatted a little bit beforehand and he was saying that his hot tip is keep an eye on Ben Doofus because he's been absolutely flying this summer. um And I think a lot of these Southeast Queensland trail running series, he's been racing, winning, taking course records. And like this one, for example,
00:55:12
Speaker
uh 16k 470 meters of climb he ran it in 62 minutes and so his his average pace was 353 then his gap pace was 328 for an hour race um in some trails so yeah i think he's definitely looking pretty fit and i imagine it's still warm up there so um good to see ben back and about his um been up and down I think over the last few years had some issues trying to run the long races with some some medical issues so maybe he's uh going to attack some shorter races this year be interested to see what he does yeah he was messaging me uh as frustrated about the lack of uh awareness or lack of communication about the national champs so um I must actually message him and confirm whether he's going but he was asking for information on it um I i imagine so and I think like
00:56:04
Speaker
he's ah He is an incredible long distance runner as well, um but he has had some limitations in that space, but he's very good over short stuff as well. So yeah, I'd love to see him come out firing and and and we have a really strong mountain team because having him in that team and a few others, um we could have a really strong mountain running team. So yeah, hopefully he's he's got his eyes on that. Watch this space. It's only like five weeks away now. so Yeah. none Also, also on the weekend, we had a run ah that is so much on my bucket list. I really need to do this run at some point. And that is down in Tassie Brody, take us to cradle mountain.
00:56:43
Speaker
Yeah, so we had the Cradle Mountain run over the weekend. um It is the full distance of the Overland tracks that many people might have heard of the Overland track before it starts up ah in the north ah near Cradle Mountain um and runs down to Lake Sinclair. um that The track is like a pretty common hiking track that people do over, say, must be three to five days.
00:57:12
Speaker
um But yeah, this this is the one day of the year where they have a race and that does the full 80k distance. um So yeah, generally maybe not super competitive because there's only a small amount of runners that are able to run and the qualification process can be a little bit.
00:57:30
Speaker
complicated and hard to get in. um But this year, actually, we had a really competitive race, which was really cool to see. Matt Crean, who we know well from Victoria, he's been down there, I think maybe the last three or four years and usually taking the win. But this year, he got unseated. ah So he I was talking to Matt, he said he was leading, um and then he blew up a little bit at the end. And ah who he describes as a young guy came passing, which is Angus Tolson. Angus is 27, so young-ish, but yeah, a fantastic run from Angus. He ran in a really good time as well, 7.44, because I think Matt ran seven hours 50, and that's the second time Matt, or second or third time, maybe Matt's gone under eight, but going under eight hours is is a really impressive time.
00:58:18
Speaker
um In third place we had Andrew Gaskell who ran eight hours um and Andrew ah has sort of won KMR before um the 65K. He was in the world champs team so like he's a very ah accomplished runner and missing out on the top three was Ben Burgess, who we know did really well at GPT. So yeah, quite a competitive field in the men's and also in the women's. So first place was Jasmine Vollmer running 10-06. Second ah was Amy Lampert, who's done this race a lot um and only
00:58:53
Speaker
just in front, ah given the length of the race. Amy ran 10-11 and then Victoria Cole in third place, not far behind in 10 hours and 20 minutes. So yeah, some tight racing in both the women's and the men's. um Yeah, and really cool. It looked amazing. I saw some pictures from both Matt and Ben Burgess. They both had their phones out, they're capturing some content on the way. So maybe they're doing their influencing right. um It looked amazing. They got a really stunning, like,
00:59:23
Speaker
sunrise and it was is looking very beautiful. So um yeah, it's made me reaffirm that I've got to get there ASAP to race because um next year Brody, let's go.
00:59:34
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. So like maybe my, maybe my whole year would just be focused on, you have to do an 80 kilometer, uh, race. And this for me is a bit of a sore spot because in 2021 I couldn't get a race cause there was no races happening. Um, I didn't ask the organizers whether I would get in off a time trial and went and ran 80 K, uh, around the Mornington Peninsula, gave myself Pretty much. Well, it was the second time I'd stirred up the Achilles, but like it had been along, like the first time only lasted a few weeks. This is when I really set it off in 2021. Started a four year Achilles injury and didn't even get into the race. Oh, nice. Only except races. So just some nice ah friendly advice to anyone out there. If you do want to run this race, make sure you do another 80 K race. No time trials. Doesn't work.
01:00:22
Speaker
Oh, I love that. Um, perfect. Awesome. Well, hopefully we might be able to both get there at some point and that sums up all of our results for this week. For what is coming up next week, we have the Flying Brick Bellarine Sunset Run, which I absolutely love. As your so sponsored rice.
01:00:42
Speaker
you sponsor this one yeah great Everyone thinks I'm bloody well do it is where I got the name Flying Brick. That is for sure. But it is big it's actually sponsored by the Flying Brick Cider Company. Not by me. So then it is Robey Run in South Australia. Wentworth Falls Trail Run up in near the Blue Mountains and Perth Trail Summer Series. Their race is called Qigong, which I like.
01:01:10
Speaker
um Is that the half marathon you're doing that or no? No, I will be. That's a day after the half marathon. I'll be there with bigs because we're sponsoring the the whole summer and winter series with them. I've done that race probably three or four times. Really fun event. um But no, I'm doing one in Busselton.
01:01:29
Speaker
Kind of like one, it's probably like the main summer race in Perth. Sales out in like two or three hours. More like a community fun event. um Last year was like super, super hot. um But yeah, this year looks like it's gonna be a little bit cooler. But yeah, like I said, I'm not gonna type it for it. A lot of people in my group started tapering. They all did like a 70 minute run yesterday while I was doing two and a half hours. um And they're all taking it easy while I'm trying to actually get as many hours of training as I can this week. um But yeah, I'll go down there for one day and yeah just enjoy being part of the
01:02:06
Speaker
of the event. I think it might be one of my only one or two races in Perth this year. So that's why I wanted to be a part of it. But yeah, I don't know. Like my, obviously my half marathon PB is not that quick. 69 minutes. I'll be happy running 71 to be honest. Yeah, nice. Fun. Keep an eye on us. And Brady, you'll just be on the bike this week again.
01:02:29
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, that's the plan. Um, next week, the following week yeah is when I go and see Locky. So yeah, just sticking, getting stuck into rehab again, um, getting on the bike for a few days, um, doing get out back out to the Hills. Um, so yeah, looking forward to it and be fun.
Upcoming Events and Conclusion
01:02:46
Speaker
Nice. And one thing that we didn't do on the podcast. Um, what are you guys excited about in 2025? It's already like four weeks.
01:02:57
Speaker
No, we talked about um what we were excited about last year, but we didn't talk about, we're going to be excited for this coming year. For this one we did. But anyways, we can we can go there again, I think. What was the best shoe last year and all that? Just me and yours, Vlad, because I think we did ours. So what's what are you looking forward to, Vlad? I can't remember what I said. Looking forward to listening to more episodes. I was going to say, Vlad clearly listened to that one, guys.
01:03:28
Speaker
I could do. I listen, I listen to most of them probably miss that one. I am, I am though really excited about, um, the racing scene in Australia this year. Cause I think that the level is picking up and, um, and we're going to see some really competitive races in Australia this year. So that's what I'm excited about. Yeah, they're coming up soon or they're going to start hitting this soon. I reckon, um, yeah March is a peak time for sure. And then obviously having UTA being a major means that one's going to be.
01:03:57
Speaker
pretty bloody competitive and... Um, yeah, it'll be, that is always the most exciting thing to at least observe, um, and see how it grows, especially with how much it's growing at the moment. And, um, yeah, speaking of one of those runs actually for Cunani, I'm off to Tassie. I'm on Tassie for the next, from Wednesday till for a week or so, um, for the Cunani training camps. So if anyone is in Hobart this weekend and wants to come for a training run, I believe some of the runs are sold out, but not all of them. So jump in if you would like to. Um,
01:04:28
Speaker
We go through over the whole 66k course, and it is so much fun. um But that's going to be a big training week for me, because from memory last year, for me doing all the runs, there was some solid seven hour days in a row. um kind Not covering a huge distance, but they are for everyone. So I'm going to be there. And coming up on the pod while I'm down there, I'm going to be getting a interview with KMR Race Director Lincoln and one of their scholarship recipients.
01:04:57
Speaker
Just to hear because they're the only race, at least that I know of in Oz, that do this sort of scholarship program, trying to get people into running from disadvantaged. or different backgrounds, just those with a story that trail running can help. um So I'm going to be doing an interview with one of the scholarship recci recipients and Lincoln. So keep your eye ears, I will say eyes, sort of peeled for that to be hitting the airwaves. I'm going to try and get it through this week. We'll see how we go around the training runs. But yeah, otherwise, anything else you want to just pip out us, Vlad, last minute again?
01:05:37
Speaker
No, I love it. Discussion over. I love it. Well, we've gotten you through another hour run, so thanks everyone for listening and keep any listener questions coming. I forgot to put the post out again this week. I'm going to put my hand up and say that was me, my bad, but we will aim to get more out this week again. And otherwise, thank you so much for listening. This has been episode 43 of the Peak Pursuits podcast, and we'll speak to you next week. Awesome. Thanks, guys. I'm so sorry. Bye. See you guys.